Research carried out in the Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology encompasses a broad range of topics, with groups working on oocytes and sperm, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, genetic studies, molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying normal and aberrant reproductive function, immunology of pregnancy, gynaecological cancer, clinical studies in women's health and pregnancy and epidemiological and health services research.

You will be a member of your supervisor’s research group where you will be able to develop your research skills with one to one supervision. Your supervision team consists of your principal supervisor, a secondary supervisor (often a senior member of the research staff), the Director of Graduate Studies and a College Advisor. You will meet regularly with your primary supervisor to plan your research and review your progress. As well as carrying out your research project, you will also have the opportunity to attend a variety of skills training sessions and career planning events offered by the Medical Sciences Division.

Formal assessment of your progress will be carried out by external assessors through the Transfer of Status (term four) which has to be passed before you defend your thesis.

Graduate destinations

Graduates from the Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology go on to further research in reproductive, biological, and biomedical science, assisted reproduction, as well as clinical academic work and industry.

Changes to the course

The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. For further information, please see our page on changes to courses.

Entry requirements for entry in 2017-18

Within equal opportunities principles and legislation, applications will be assessed in the light of an applicant’s ability to meet the following entry requirements:

1. Academic ability

Proven and potential academic excellence

Applicants are normally expected to be predicted or have achieved a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours (or equivalent international qualifications), as a minimum, in a subject related to biomedical science or a medical degree.

For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum GPA sought is 3.5 out of 4.0.

You will be required to supply supporting documents with your application, including references and an official transcript. See 'How to apply' for instructions on the documents you will need and how these will be assessed.

Performance at interview(s)

Interviews are normally held as part of the admissions process.

Only candidates who have identified a member of academic staff who is willing to supervise their project and provide the necessary resources will be shortlisted for interview.

Interviews will be held as soon as possible after the January application deadline and are normally held in person or via a Skype video call.It is expected that interviews will be held on Monday 30 January.

The panel comprises a minimum of two members of the Departmental Graduate Studies Committee, together with the prospective supervisor. They will explore the academic ability of the candidate and their understanding of the proposed project.

Publications

Evidence of publications or presentations would be an advantage, but they are not essential.

2. English language requirement

Applicants whose first language is not English are usually required to provide evidence of proficiency in English at the standard level required by the University.

3. Availability of supervision, teaching, facilities and places

The following factors will govern whether candidates can be offered places:

The ability of the Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology to provide the appropriate supervision, research opportunities, teaching and facilities for your chosen area of work.

Minimum and maximum limits to the numbers of students who may be admitted to Oxford's research and taught programmes.

The provision of supervision, where required, is subject to the following points:

The allocation of graduate supervision is the responsibility of the Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff.

Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found outside the Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include sabbatical leave, maternity leave or change in employment.

4. Disability, health conditions and specific learning difficulties

Students are selected for admission without regard to gender, marital or civil partnership status, disability, race, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, age or social background.

Decisions on admission are based solely on the individual academic merits of each candidate and the application of the entry requirements appropriate to the course.

5. Assessors

All recommendations to admit a student involve the judgment of at least two members of academic staff with relevant experience and expertise, and additionally must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies or Admissions Committee (or equivalent departmental persons or bodies).

Admissions panels or committees will always include at least one member of academic staff who has undertaken appropriate training.

6. Other information

Whether you have yet secured funding is not taken into consideration in the decision to make an initial offer of a place, but please note that the initial offer of a place will not be confirmed until you have completed a Financial Declaration.

It would be expected that graduate applicants would be familiar with the recent published work of their proposed supervisor.

In the case of students who require specific help to adjust to an academic programme or to a new range of skills, the supervisor will work with them to ensure that they have additional support.

Resources

The laboratories of the Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology are fully equipped for a wide range of molecular and cell biology work with dedicated image analysis and flow cytometry facilities. They are located in the Women’s Centre at the John Radcliffe Hospital, giving excellent access to patients and clinical samples for research from clinics, theatres, delivery suites and the Oxford Fertility Unit. The department maintains many special clinical services which help generate programmes of research.

You will have access to the department’s IT support and University library services both online and through the Radcliffe Science Library and Cairns Library. Students undertaking experimental work are provided with bench space in a laboratory and those undertaking theoretical research have shared office space. All students are provided with personal desk space and a computer.

The department has a lecture theatre and seminar room where weekly research and clinical seminars and a journal club are held during term time. You will be strongly encouraged to participate in these activities which bring research students together with academic and other research staff in the department to hear about on-going research, and provide an opportunity for networking and socialising. There is also a coffee area where you will be able to meet with other students to discuss your studies.

The department holds an annual Graduate Student Seminar Day where you will have an opportunity to develop your presentation skills, and the Medical Sciences Division hosts a DPhil Open Day where you will be able to meet and present your work to a wider audience of students and staff from other departments.

Funding

There are over 1,000 full graduate scholarships available across the University, and these cover your course and college fees and provide a grant for living costs. If you apply by the relevant January deadline and fulfil the eligibility criteria you will be automatically considered. Over two thirds of Oxford scholarships require nothing more than the standard course application. Use the Fees, funding and scholarship search to find out which scholarships you are eligible for and if they require an additional application, full details of which are provided.

Full funding opportunities are available for all Medical Sciences Graduate School programmes, whatever your nationality. The Medical Sciences Graduate School website provides further details of these, as well as information about external funding opportunities.

Costs

Annual fees for entry in 2017-18

Tuition fee

College fee

Total annual fees

Home/EU(including Islands)

c. £4,250

£3,021

c. £7,271

Overseas

£19,335

£3,021

£22,356

The fees shown above are the annual tuition and college fees for this course for entry in the stated academic year; for courses lasting longer than one year, please be aware that fees will usually increase annually. For details, please see our guidance on likely increases to fees and charges.

Tuition and college fees are payable each year for the duration of your fee liability (your fee liability is the length of time for which you are required to pay tuition and college fees).

Following the period of fee liability, you may also be required to pay a University continuation charge and a college continuation charge. The University and college continuation charges are shown on the Continuation charges page.

Additional information

There are no compulsory elements of this programme that entail additional costs beyond fees and living costs. However, please note that, depending on your choice of research topic and the research required to complete it, you may incur additional expenses, such as travel expenses, research expenses, and field trips. You will need to meet these additional costs, although you may be able to apply for small grants from your department and/or college to help you cover some of these expenses.

Living costs

In addition to your tuition and college fees, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.

For the 2017-18 academic year, the range of likely living costs is between £1,002 and £1,471 for each month spent in Oxford. Full information, including a breakdown of likely living costs in Oxford for items such as food, accommodation and study costs, is available on our Living costs page.

Colleges

The following colleges accept students on the MSc by Research in Obstetrics and Gynaecology:

How to apply

You must identify an academic member of staff who is willing to supervise you and has the resources to support your proposed research project before you apply.

This should be done by approaching academic staff directly. Details of the academic staff and their research interests can be found on the departmental website. Applicants who have not identified a potential supervisor will not be considered.

The set of documents you should send with your application to this course comprises the following:

Official transcript(s)

Your transcripts should give detailed information of the individual grades received in your university-level qualifications to date. You should only upload official documents issued by your institution and any transcript not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation.

More information about the transcript requirement is available in the Application Guide.

CV/résumé

A CV/résumé is compulsory for all applications. Most applicants choose to submit a document of one to two pages highlighting their academic achievements and any relevant professional experience.

Research proposal:Up to two pages

You should submit a detailed outline of your proposed research, written in English, covering areas such as the background to the research, methodology, expected results and the contribution to the field of learning. The overall page count should include any bibliography.

This will be assessed for:

your reasons for applying

the coherence of the proposal

the originality of the project

evidence that you have identified a member of the academic staff who is willing to supervise your project and provide the necessary resources

evidence of motivation for and understanding of the proposed area of study

the feasibility of successfully completing the project in the time available for the course (a maximum of three years)

preliminary knowledge of research techniques

capacity for sustained and intense work

reasoning ability.

It will be normal for your ideas subsequently to change in some ways as you investigate the evidence and develop your project. You should nevertheless make the best effort you can to demonstrate the extent of your research question, sources and method at this moment.

Your proposal should focus on research rather than personal achievements, interests and aspirations.

Whilst you must register three referees, the department may start the assessment of your application if two of the three references are submitted by the course deadline and your application is otherwise complete. Please note that you may still be required to ensure your third referee supplies a reference for consideration.

References should usually be academic, though one professional reference is acceptable provided that it is relevant to the course and the other two references are academic.

Your references will support intellectual ability, academic achievement, motivation, and ability to work in a group.